10 WWE Gimmicks That Worked For One Wrestler (But Not Another)
1. Beer-Swilling Brawler
Worked for: Steve Austin
Didn't work for: The Sandman
Let me explain:
The Sandman is one of the biggest stars to come from ECW, and it's always thoroughly entertaining to watch him knock the pulp out of somebody with a kendo stick. But let’s be honest – nobody outside of the wrestling community knows who he is. On top of that, he can’t wrestle, and he never did anything particularly remarkable on the microphone either.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, however, is wrestling’s greatest character of all time. His combination of charisma, mic skills, and in-ring prowess made him one of wrestling’s most well-rounded performers, as well. He was so good, in fact, that he was able to transcend pro-wrestling and become a mainstream star. Hell, non-wrestling fans still know who he is, and he's been off of WWE television for well over a decade.
This is why it is so important for a wrestler to be versatile. It's not to say that Sandman was a failure - it's to say that versatility cost Sandman full ownership over a gimmick that he, himself, innovated.